Eating and exercise habits can play a role in obesity, but so can friendship. Scientists at UC San Diego and Harvard Medical School say obesity may be socially contagious -- and that a person's chance of becoming obese increases by 171 percent if close friends or family are obese.

When you work in journalistic broadcasting, one of the enduring dilemmas you face is what to do about free stuff from possible sources. Do you accept it or not? Is it a bribe by someone vying for airtime and favorable coverage or is it something thats going to help you do your job? Free stuff ranges from seeing plays for no charge to getting free tickets to sporting events to getting free books from publishers.

During these hot days of summer, the number of women and girls on surfboards seems to grow each year. Locally, the Surf Diva Surf School in La Jolla, owned by two sisters, is partly responsible. Rebecca Tolin has the story.

It could be a first. The county may take a parking lot and turn it into a park. That's the plan the supervisors have for a creating a waterfront park surrounding the County Administration Building on Harbor Drive. Amita Sharma gets a look at the plans and finds out what it could take to make it happen.

A group of Hispanic educators are in San Diego on Tuesday to talk about boosting the number of Latino superintendents in California. They say less than 10 percent of the state's education leaders are Latino. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.

San Diegos County Supervisors took the first step toward making their bay front parking lots into public open space. But the contract they awarded today raised fears in nearby Little Italy. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

Researchers say a nasty disease that keeps tomatoes from growing came into Imperial County from Mexico. Now California agriculture officials want to keep it from infecting the state's tomato crop. KPBS reporter Ed Joyce has more.

The film, 300 is released on DVD. It's also based on a Frank Miller graphic novel and it also uses the blue screen technique. 300 transports movie goers back to ancient Greece. The story is based on a real battle. It tells of how 300 Spartan soldiers held off a multitude of Persian invaders at Thermopylae.

Helicopter parents are those who hover over their children, despite the fact that they are adults. These type of parents prepare their grown offspring's resume and pick their college student's classes. Is it a good thing to have parents who are so involved in their adult children's lives? Or is it hindering their children from growing up?

A local UCSD researcher explains how our social interactions can influence weight gain. We speak to the researcher about why he is shocked by the results, the limitations of his study, and how his research can help fight the worldwide obesity epidemic.

San Diego County's seventy miles of beaches provide some world-class snorkeling spots. All you need are fins, a mask and a snorkel, all of which can be rented at local dive and surf shops. A light wet suit helps keep you warm and buoyant, but it isn't necessary during the warm summer months.